Stanislaus County neighborhoods will get a lift from $15 million in spending. Where?
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors approved a plan Tuesday for spending $15 million on upgrades to make life better for residents in unincorporated neighborhoods.
The 14 projects spread throughout much of the county call for sidewalks, improved roads, street lighting, water and storm drainage in neighborhoods that lack basic services.
Tuesday’s board action to approve the spending items also directed Public Works staff to begin routine environmental review.
Last year, the county established a $15 million community infrastructure fund for addressing needs in each supervisor’s district. The program allocates $3 million a year to each of the five districts.
One project is a sound barrier along Kansas Avenue to dampen vehicle noise from the newly opened Highway 132 bypass in western Modesto.
The 10-foot-high concrete block wall, between Yankee Drive and Morse Road, is in response to neighborhood concerns and was an issue in Supervisor Terry Withrow’s reelection campaign last year.
Withrow said Tuesday that many of the other neighborhood projects approved for funding are needs that have been recognized for many years.
Supervisors suggested in comments that the $15 million board infrastructure fund would be high on the list of county budget cuts if there’s an economic downturn.
Another spending item in Withrow’s district is $1.5 million in funding toward water and other improvements in the Riverdale Park Tract that are mostly funded by American Rescue Plan Act money.
The improvements in Supervisor Mani Grewal’s district include sidewalks in south Modesto’s Bystrom neighborhood on Sonora Avenue from Avon Street to Anthony Avenue. At Grewal’s direction, the plan also will contribute up to $2 million to the Herndon Road improvement project in Ceres, which is mostly funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Board chairman Channce Condit is directing up to $3 million for design and construction of a storm drainage pipeline for Empire. The community has long suffered from drainage problems.
Additional spending will include:
▪ Up to $1.3 million in funding for sidewalks in Denair, as part of the Denair School Safe Crossing project. The money will serve as a local match for getting state transportation funding for the improvements.
▪ Supervisor Vito Chiesa directing up to $450,000 for sidewalks and pedestrian paths in Turlock, at the corner of Linwood and Lander avenues, and on West Avenue from Jordan to South Avenue. The project has funding from the Measure L transportation tax.
▪ An estimated $250,000 for roadway lighting in La Grange along 900 feet of Highway 132.
▪ Up to $2.7 million for basic improvements in Riverbank’s unincorporated area around Topeka and Santa Fe streets. The improvements are mostly funded through ARPA.
▪ Other projects in Supervisor Buck Condit’s district include sidewalks in Valley Home, a water rate study for Knights Ferry and initial staff work on possible lighting, sidewalk, water, sewer and drainage improvements for the Sylvan neighborhood, a county pocket in Modesto.
This story was originally published February 27, 2023 at 2:51 PM.
